Chapter 5

The air in the hospital room was thick.

Heavy.

Olivia slowly walked towards me.

She reached out a hand.

Touched my arm.

I didn't pull away.

I didn't react at all.

"Ethan," she whispered. "You're angry. I understand."

A superficial explanation.

For a wound so deep.

I just looked at her.

My silence was a wall.

"When you're feeling better," she said, her voice regaining some strength.

"We'll go away. Just the two of us. To that little island in Greece you always wanted to visit."

A future promise.

To smooth over the present.

Then her tone shifted.

"But Ethan, darling... Caleb is asking for you."

Her true motive.

Always.

"He's feeling a bit anxious. He wants to thank you. Personally. For the blood."

She smiled. A small, forced smile.

"And he's a bit hungry. Could you... could you ask the nurse to bring him some broth? The kind he likes. You know."

I knew.

The broth she used to make for me.

I looked at her.

This woman.

My wife.

Soon to be ex-wife.

A strange calm settled over me.

"Alright, Olivia," I said.

My voice was even.

"I'll take care of Caleb's broth."

Internally, I added, And then I'll take care of myself.

She beamed.

Relief washed over her face.

She thought I understood.

Forgave.

She leaned in.

Kissed my cheek.

A reward.

For my compliance.

"Thank you, Ethan," she whispered. "You're a good man."

A good man.

A fool.

But not anymore.

"It's for the child, Olivia," I said quietly.

"Everything I do now. It's for the child's future."

A subtle shift.

A hidden meaning.

She nodded.

Misinterpreting again.

"Yes, Ethan. For the child."

She squeezed my hand.

Then she left.

To go back to Caleb.

Her priority.

She was gone for hours.

I arranged for Caleb's broth.

I even went to his room.

Watched him sip it.

He looked weak.

Pathetic.

He tried to thank me.

His voice was raspy.

I just nodded.

Said nothing.

Then I went back to my room.

And started to pack.

My few belongings.

I took the picture of Olivia from the bedside table.

The one from our wedding.

Her smiling. Me smiling.

A lifetime ago.

I turned it face down.

Symbolic.

Severing the tie.

Olivia returned late that evening.

Alone.

She looked different.

Her eyes were bright.

Too bright.

A strange energy about her.

"Ethan," she said. Her voice was low.

Excited.

"Grandma Eleanor has the jet ready."

"We're going on a trip. Just you and me."

She grabbed my arm.

Her grip was firm.

Too firm.

"Where are we going, Olivia?" I asked.

My voice was flat.

"It's a surprise," she said.

A small smile played on her lips.

An ominous smile.

It sent a chill down my spine.

The journey was silent.

Tense.

We drove out of the city.

For hours.

Darkness fell.

The road became rougher.

More remote.

We arrived at a small, isolated cabin.

Deep in the mountains.

Dusk was settling.

The air was cold.

Foreboding.

Olivia got out of the car.

She walked to the cabin door.

Unlocked it.

"Come on, Ethan," she said.

Her voice was strangely calm.

I followed her.

Into the dark, cold cabin.

She turned to face me.

Her phone was in her hand.

"This is your punishment, Ethan."

Her voice was ice.

"Punishment? For what?" I asked.

Confusion warred with a rising dread.

"For trying to harm my child."

She held up her phone.

A grainy security video.

Me, in Caleb's hospital room earlier.

Standing over him while he slept.

The angle was bad.

It looked... ambiguous.

"Caleb said you threatened him. Threatened the baby."

Her voice broke.

"How could you, Ethan?"

"I didn't!" I said. Vehemently.

"I never touched him! I never threatened anyone!"

This was insane.

A setup.

Caleb's doing.

And Olivia believed it.

Or chose to believe it.

"The video doesn't lie, Ethan," she said.

Her voice was cold. Hard.

"You need to stay here. Think about what you've done."

She backed away.

Towards the door.

"Olivia, don't do this!" I pleaded.

She ignored me.

"I'll call you in a few days," she said.

Then she was gone.

The door slammed shut.

Locked.

From the outside.

I was alone.

In the cold. In the dark.

Abandoned.

I remembered a promise she made.

Years ago.

We were young. In love.

"I'll never leave you, Ethan," she'd whispered.

"I'll hold onto you so tight, you'll never escape."

Possessive.

Even then.

Now, her promise was a bitter joke.

She hadn't just left me.

She had imprisoned me.

Based on a lie.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

A low rumble.

Growing louder.

The cabin walls creaked.

An earthquake.

Small at first.

Then violent.

The floor buckled.

A heavy beam fell from the ceiling.

Trapping my leg.

Pain. Blinding pain.

I cried out.

Reached for my phone.

My only hope.

I dialed Olivia.

Desperate.

Her phone rang.

And rang.

Finally, someone answered.

Not Olivia.

Caleb.

"Hello?" His voice was smooth.

Unconcerned.

"Caleb! It's Ethan! There's been an earthquake! I'm trapped! Injured!"

I shouted. Frantic.

"An earthquake? Oh dear," Caleb said.

His tone was bored.

"Olivia is a bit busy right now. She's helping me with my... recovery."

I heard her voice in the background.

Soft. Tender.

"Are you comfortable, Caleb? Do you need another pillow?"

He chuckled.

"As you can hear, she's quite occupied."

"Caleb, please! Tell her! I'm hurt!"

"Hurt? Well, try not to be, Ethan."

He hung up.

The line went dead.

I stared at the phone.

Her voice. His laughter.

A broken vow echoed in my mind.

"To love and to cherish, in sickness and in health..."

Darkness closed in.

I collapsed.